


Mirror Images (Not Quite His Own): Ground Zero

by Politzania



Series: Mirror Images (Not Quite His Own) [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Hand-wavey Science, Inspired by Quantum Leap, M/M, Multiverse, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27043615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Politzania/pseuds/Politzania
Summary: A handsome stranger appears out of nowhere and whisks Tony Stark across time and space to take on a mission:  to inhabit his multiverse selves and fix what's going wrong in their lives.Tony Stark Bingo: Mad Science &  StarkBucks Bingo: Multiverse Shenanigans
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: Mirror Images (Not Quite His Own) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1973782
Comments: 12
Kudos: 57
Collections: StarkBucksBingo2020, Tony Stark Bingo Mark IV





	Mirror Images (Not Quite His Own): Ground Zero

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Wiggle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wiggle/gifts), [ThoughtfulBreadPolice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThoughtfulBreadPolice/gifts).



> Title: Mirror Images (Not Quite His Own): Ground Zero  
> Collaborator Name: PoliZ  
> Card Number: 4007  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27043615  
> Tony Stark Bingo Square Number: S3 - Mad Science  
> StarkBucks Bingo Square Number: B5 - Multiverse Shenanigans  
> Pairing: WinterIron (Bucky/Tony)  
> Rating: Teen  
> Major Tags: multiverse shenanigans, identity porn, keeping secrets  
> Summary: A handsome stranger appears out of nowhere and whisks Tony Stark across time and space to take on a mission: to inhabit his multiverse selves and fix what's going wrong in their lives.  
> Word Count: 2744  
> for @tonystarkbingo and @starkbucksbingo
> 
> HUGE Thanks to RiseUp TingTing Like Glitter (aka Wiggle) for the inspiration and ThoughtfulBreadPolice for their cheer-reading!

Tony hadn’t meant to doze off. Pepper had gone back into SI to spy on Obie and see what he was really up to; Tony had his phone at the ready, just in case she needed backup. But the trip to Gulmira — and subsequent dogfight with a couple of over-eager flyboys — had really done him in. Tony only intended to rest his eyes for a moment, but startled awake at the sound of an unfamiliar voice speaking a familiar phrase. 

“Come with me if you want to live.” 

A handsome stranger was standing in the middle of Tony’s living room, right in front of the couch. He had one gloved hand outstretched and wore an intense, almost fierce expression. “What the hell?!” Tony scrambled to his feet. “JARVIS? Who is this and why did you let him in?” The stranger had moved back to give Tony room to rise, but otherwise stood his ground. 

“My apologies, Sir,” JARVIS replied, “but I don’t understand what you mean. You are currently alone.” 

“The fuck I am!“ Tony retorted hotly, but before he could say any more, the stranger broke in. 

“I had to tinker a bit with J to get in here , but he’ll be fine. It’s okay, Tony.” He spoke calmly and slowly, as if reassuring a frightened child; but his use of a familiar nickname for Tony’s AI added an additional unsettling element to the overall what-the-fuckness of the situation.

“This is not okay in any way, shape or form,” Tony growled. “If you’re gonna go ahead and kidnap me, give it your best shot. But don’t be so goddamned condescending about it.” He took a defensive stance - even though the guy had a couple of inches on him as well as some serious muscle, Tony didn’t plan on going down without a fight. 

But instead of pulling a gun, or simply attempting to overpower him, the stranger sighed heavily and sat down, putting his head in his hands.. “I told ‘em this wasn’t gonna be easy,” he muttered, “no matter what version of you we started with.” 

“Who is ‘them’ and what’s this about a version of me?” Even as the sensible part of his brain was screaming at him to make a break for it, Tony’s curiosity was piqued. 

The stranger looked back up at him. “Richard Reed and Hank McCoy. Both brilliant scientists who’re researching disturbances in the space time continuum. They detected one of those anomalies here.” 

“Reed and McCoy must not be that brilliant, or I’d have heard of them.” Tony took a closer look at the stranger who seemed vaguely familiar. Then again, he would have remembered those storm-blue eyes; and while Tony wasn’t normally a fan of long hair on guys, it really worked for his self-proclaimed savior.

“They’re not from this universe. For that matter, neither am I.” 

Tony snorted. “Yeah, right.” 

In reply, the stranger took off his glove and rolled up his sleeve; his forearm and hand appeared to be covered in overlapping metal plates. Tony sat down next to him to take a closer look; it was a prosthetic, but like nothing he'd ever seen before. 

Flexing his wrist and wiggling his fingers in a completely life-like fashion, the man asked, “Anything like this exist in your here and now, champ?” 

“Okay,” Tony responded slowly, “so now you’ve got my attention.” 

"Good," his companion replied, "'cause we gotta get going. Now." 

"Can I at least get your name, first?"

A flicker of emotion crossed the man's face, as if he was saddened that Tony didn't know him. "Call me James." Something in his response struck a chord; Tony might not have any idea who James was, but James clearly knew him. 

“All right.” As Tony took his hand, James pulled a gadget out of his pocket and pressed a few buttons. 

“Hang on tight.” 

The world fell away, leaving Tony surrounded by an inky void. Not even the light from the arc reactor could pierce the utter blackness, and the silence was so complete he could hear his own heartbeat. It was breath-takingly cold, and he’d swear they were free-falling. But James held on to his hand and that pressure and warmth somehow kept Tony from a full-blown panic attack.

An endless moment later, Tony stumbled as his feet found purchase on uneven ground. He gasped, inhaling more deeply than he had in months. Clutching at his chest, Tony was shocked to find it whole again, feeling only a ridge of scar through his shirt. “Where are we and what the hell happened to my arc reactor?” 

James, who was breathing heavily himself, grimaced as he rubbed at his shoulder. “Your first question’s the wrong one, champ. We ain’t moved an inch.”

It was still dark, but there were stars and a half-moon above his head with city lights in the distance. He could hear waves lapping against the shore and the scent of the ocean was all around them. Taking a closer look at his surroundings, his heart sank; the cracked and broken concrete slabs under their feet were apparently all that remained of his Malibu mansion. Tony’s mind reeled at the realization that at least part of what James had told him was true. “Okay - so when are we?” 

“December 2012.” 

He could scarcely believe that only five years had passed. “So what happened here? Where am I? I mean the me from here and now.” Tony blurted out the first few questions running through his head. 

“You are him, at least that’s how Reed and McCoy explained it. Your consciousness in his body. That explains why you don’t have the arc reactor — future you musta figured out how to live without it. Lemme see what happened to your place.” 

While James poked at the gadget he’d used to send them on their trip, an unfamiliar scene flashed vividly through Tony’s head: explosions all around him, a desperate attempt to save who he loved. Metal creaking around him as he sank into the depths. 

“They blew it up,” he said hoarsely. 

James blinked in surprise. “Yeah - apparently you gave a terrorist your home address,” he answered. “Do you remember that, or anything else?” 

Tony shook his head in an attempt to clear the mental equivalent of double vision. “No, it was more like a flashback than a memory - just an isolated burst of sound and sight. No context.” 

“Huh. McCoy didn’t say anything about that. Anyways, you survived, obviously, and ended up marooned in Tennessee.” 

“You get all that from your junior interocitor there?” Tony asked, nodding at the piece of tech in his companion’s hand. 

“Reed called it a wayfinder. Told me I could use it to get to where we need to go and find out how to make things right.” 

Tony snorted in disbelief. “Hell of a macguffin. So, what else does that thing say?” 

James peered at the small screen. “ The same bad guy kidnapped your girlfriend and injected her with something that turned out to give her superpowers.”

Another flash: Pepper Potts with her eyes literally blazing, having vanquished their mutual foe; a matching flare of love, relief and admiration swelling in his chest. So that spark he’d felt between them at the gala had apparently meant something after all. 

“She saved your bacon,” James continued, “you destroyed your Iron Man suits and had surgery to remove the shrapnel and the RT. And along the way you and Rhodes rescued the president.” James gave Tony a look that was a mix of disbelief and amusement. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” 

“How do you know?” Tony shot back as he tried to make sense of not only what James was telling him, but the fragmentary recollections of his alter ego. 

“I’d rather not say right yet,” James replied with a note of reluctance. “But do you believe me now?” 

“Yeah, I kinda have to.” Tony rubbed absently at his chest. “I mean, this is definitely where my house should be. And the whole ‘no more arc reactor’ thing is pretty damn convincing. Plus, those weird memory echoes.” He paused, letting the reality of the situation sink in. 

“You said something earlier about ‘making things right’," Tony continued. I assume that’s the whole point of this?” He gestured between them, including the gadget in James’ hand. “The other Tonys have done something to screw up the space time continuum and I need to fix it?” 

“More or less,” James shrugged. “Not that it was intentional, but for whatever reason, their story isn’t playing out the way it’s supposed to.” 

“You’re telling me that predestination is really a thing, huh?” Tony’s whole worldview was being sorely tested, leaving him a little on the touchy side. “So, what was going wrong for me? Besides the whole ‘getting myself mortally wounded and having to install a power plant in my chest’ thing?” 

“Do ya really want to know, champ?” James asked, his expression unreadable. 

“If I’m gonna fix it, yeah.” Tony answered belligerently. 

“Let’s just say betrayal was on the menu. Someone you trusted for years was coming to finish the job the Ten Rings were supposed to do.” 

“Kill me, you mean?” James nodded gravely. “Son of a bitch - so it was all a setup?” Tony felt ill as he recalled the faces of the soldiers who had died just so Riza and his goons could get their hands on him. “How the hell do I make that right?” 

“We’ll figure it out.” James squeezed his shoulder reassuringly before checking the wayfinder. “Okay - so now that the one-variable test was successful, McCoy and Reed set up a two variable test: Same dimension, but different place and time. You ready?” 

Tony shrugged. “As I’ll ever be. What’s our destination?” 

“Upstate New York, May 2016.” James held out his hand and Tony grasped it firmly. 

Even though Tony knew what was coming, it was still terrible. The feeling of free fall was even stronger, and the cold cut right through to his bones. He held tight to James’ hand, taking what comfort he could from the contact. He wished he knew why he instinctively trusted his new companion; perhaps time would tell. 

They landed just outside a post-modern building; concrete, exposed steel beams and floor to ceiling glass. Through one of those large panes Tony spotted someone he’d recognize anywhere (or any-when). 

In a room full of exercise equipment, Rhodey was taking slow, shuffling steps between a set of parallel bars. It wasn’t his changed appearance -- older and more drawn -- but the strange braces on his legs that caught Tony’s eye. The blue glow at the joints looked very familiar. 

“What happened to him?” Even as he asked the question, Tony relived the moment courtesy of his other self: The fury and adrenaline of battle replaced by shock and helplessness as Rhodey -- flying his own suit of armor -- plummeted toward the ground. 

James pushed a couple of buttons, the blood draining from his face as he read the screen. “Colonel James Rhodes was operating the War Machine armor and caught some friendly fire during a skirmish. He crashed, and a spinal injury left him paralyzed from the waist down.” 

“Who was he fighting?” That important piece had been missing from the memory burst.

“According to this, you and Rhodes were trying to bring in a couple of enhanced individuals who were believed to have gone rogue. ” James’ voice was strained and Tony had a terrible feeling he knew why.

“Tell me it wasn’t my shot that brought him down,” Tony begged.

Before James could answer or provide any more information, Rhodey had spotted them and was beckoning them to come inside.

“You go ahead, Tony. I’ll wait out here. I don’t feel so good.” James started to walk away, his face still pale. “Just, don’t say too much, okay? Let him do the talking.” 

By the time Tony entered the room, Rhodey was leaning against one of the bars, arms crossed. “You’re late, Tones. I got started without you.” 

“Sorry, platypus. Lost track of time.” That was one way of putting it, he supposed. “How you feeling?” 

Rhodey shrugged. “Some days are better than others. Who was that?” 

Tony thought fast. “A SI intern, doing some work shadowing. But I didn’t figure you needed a stranger standing around feeling sorry for you.” 

“Thanks,” Rhodey gave Tony a nod of appreciation before continuing. “You said you wanted to see your handiwork in action, so c’mere.” He placed his hand on one bar, and reached out to clasp Tony’s shoulder with the other. They walked the length of the bar, and Tony was teasing him a little about whether a cupholder would be a worthwhile addition to the braces when Rhodey stumbled and fell. 

Tony tried to catch him, going to his knees; the brief pained cry that escaped his dear friend’s lips breaking his heart. As they sat together on the floor, Tony listened somberly as Rhodey compared the combat missions he’d flown with the Accords they’d signed. 

The mention of that document sparked yet another memory: how this Tony had tried desperately to keep his team, his family together and the anger and grief at his failure. 

“And yeah, this sucks. This is a bad beat.” Rhodey said, pulling Tony from his reverie. “But it hasn’t changed my mind.” 

All Tony could do was hold out his hand, offer whatever support he could. He helped Rhodey up and then there was a tap on the glass. It wasn’t James, but a delivery driver looking for a ‘Tony Stank’. 

That broke the somber mood; with a deceptively straight face, Rhodey insisted that the misnomer was absolutely correct. The driver handed over the package with a mildly puzzled look, and Rhodey continued to tease Tony as he made his way over to a wheelchair. 

“I’ve had enough for today, Tones.” He sat down with a sigh of relief. “I’m gonna go take a nap.” 

“Need me to give you a push?” 

“Nah - I got it, man. It’s good to see you again.” 

“Likewise, sourpatch.” 

Once Rhodey left, Tony opened the box to find an old flip phone and a letter from Steve Rogers. A cascade of memories flooded through his mind at reading the name: Captain America himself returning from the dead to lead a group of superheroes. They had fought side by side; but the Accords had driven a wedge between them. There was something more; something devastating that had happened as well, but it remained out of Tony’s reach. 

The letter was clearly meant to be an apology, but there was an air of self-justification in the words as well. The mention of locks perhaps not needing to be replaced only confirmed Tony’s suspicion that Steve was one of the rogues James had mentioned. 

He re-read the line where Steve apologized about not telling Tony what had happened to his parents and a chill ran down his spine. But before Tony could give it any more thought, a woman’s voice came over the intercom phone. “Priority call from Secretary Ross. There’s been a breach at the Raft prison.”

“Put it on hold.” He didn’t dare take the charade any further. He walked back outside to join James. “This is all a mistake. I keep getting broadsided by memories from these other me's, other men that I can’t make any sense of. It’s not going to work.” 

“It has to, pal,” James insisted. “And they aren’t ‘other men’ - they’re you. They might look or sound a little different, but deep down, you’re the same. You’ll know what to do.” He took Tony by the shoulders. “I’m sorry I got a little hinky back there, but I promise, I’ll be right by your side from now on. I believe in you, Tony.” 

The absolute sincerity in James’ eyes took Tony’s breath away. He still wasn’t sure he could pull it off, but dammit, he had to try. “Okay, let’s--” They were interrupted by a redheaded woman coming around the corner and stopping dead in her tracks. 

“Tony? What is Barnes doing here?” She glared at James, holding his shocked gaze even as one hand stole to the middle of her back. 

"No!" James yelled, placing himself between the woman and Tony. James pulled him close with one arm as he yanked the wayfinder out of his pocket. “Hold on, sweetheart.” And they were gone.

**Author's Note:**

> I fully intend there to be more to this (hence the series) - but I don't know when it will see the light of day.   
>  The plan is for our boys to hop into 'verses like Avengers Assemble, Earth 616, Ultimates, Marvel 1872 etc. If you have familiarity/expertise in any of these 'verses (or somewhere else for them to leap) - hit me up on [ Tumblr](https://polizwrites.tumblr.com/).


End file.
